The present invention relates generally to portable computing devices such as notebook computers. More particularly, the present invention relates to enclosures for portable computing devices and to methods for assembling portable computing devices.
Designers of portable computers are faced with competing demands. For example, it is generally desirable to reduce the weight of a portable computer, so that a user is not burdened by an overly heavy device. At the same time, durability and aesthetics should not suffer. Often, weight can be saved, but only at the expense of reducing the size or strength of device components. Similarly, it may be possible to improve device appearance, but only at the expense of making a device more fragile and susceptible to damage. For example, it can be difficult to form robust computer enclosures while satisfying desired performance and appearance criteria.
Conventional computer enclosures are formed by assembling multiple pieces to create a single enclosure. However, enclosures formed from multiple pieces add size, weight, complexity, can be relatively expensive, and can require an excessive amount of time to assemble the portable computer and the portable computer's enclosure. In addition, computer enclosures formed from multiple pieces assembled together have a relatively high probability of failure because the entire enclosure may fail if any single piece fails (e.g., because there are multiple failure points). Moreover, conventional computer enclosures can be difficult to recycle and therefore can be burdensome on the environment. For example, some of the pieces used to form the enclosure are typically formed non-recyclable materials that have to be removed from the enclosure before recycling. In addition, if the pieces are formed from different materials, the pieces may need to be separate and sorted before recycling. Glues and/or welding materials used to hold the pieces of the computer enclosure together may also interfere with recycling the enclosure.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved enclosures that are more cost effective, smaller, lighter, stronger and aesthetically more pleasing than current enclosure designs. In addition, there is a need for improvements in the manner in which structures are mounted within the enclosures. For example, there is a need for improvements that enable structures to be quickly and easily installed within the enclosure, and that help position and support the structures in the enclosure.